NEW YORK CITY:
Note to Readers: Mark “Scoop” Saltmarsh, your humble correspondent here, and today I speak with New York Kings’ players after their recent playoff series loss.
History was made when the current New York Kings earned a wild card birth and trip to the LBL playoffs.
Whether this chapter becomes trivial history or the start of something meaningful remains to be seen.
Mixed emotions best describe the feelings of Kings’ fans.
Joy. The playoff drought of 25 years is over as our beloved fellows earned the best record in team history with 69 wins, and made their first ever postseason appearance. It should also be celebrated that these accomplishments were achieved with the third youngest roster in the league.
Sadness. That talented Brooklyn team–yes, the same ball club who sprinted past our boys to win the division by one game–quickly ended the Kings’ season with a 3-1 series victory.
“They had our number this season,” quipped RF Isidore Welbeck. “Losing in the playoffs is still losing. It hurts.”
Kings’ fans applauded Welbeck’s season, and rightfully so. The young lefty led the team in RBIs, and was a difficult out for Whales’ hurlers.
Also receiving cheers, but with trepidation like this may be “goodbye,” was aging reserve catcher Walter Thurston. Younger and more nimble prospects with the names of Lashbrooke, White, and Carmickel are waiting in Niagara and Albany for their chance at the big leagues.
Drafted 12 years ago, Thurston’s career includes time spent with Chicago, winning it all with Cincinnati in 1914, and an overseas deployment during the Great War.
Retirement, demotion, or release are all real possibilities for the longtime backstop.
“These guys have been great teammates. I enjoyed every inning this season. Whatever happens in the future,” Thurston paused for a moment to clear his throat. “Well…Thy will be done.”
Despite the loss, some players remained upbeat.
Hard-throwing southpaw Victor Ivatt said to reporters: “We’ll be back. We climbed the mountain this season, and really liked the view.”
“We want the postseason to be expected every season.”
Ivatt’s exuberance is admirable, but in the ultra-competitive LBL Eastern Division, just a winning record each season is not something that can be considered a given, even for talented rosters.
For now, the answer to this team trivia question: “Who is the only NY Kings’ pitcher to ever win a game in the postseason?” is reliever Victor Ivatt.
Ivatt appreciates the recognition, but like all fans, hopes that in a decade, Ivatt as the answer to trivia, will change to him being simply one of the many Kings’ pitchers who have earned postseason victories.